


In Which Lancelot is Too Noble for His Own Good (Or Anyone Else's)

by merry_magpie



Category: Merlin (BBC)
Genre: Action/Adventure, F/M, Friendship, Jealousy, M/M, Multi, Pining, Polyamory, Secrets, Secrets Revealed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-08-18
Updated: 2010-08-18
Packaged: 2017-10-11 03:46:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,466
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/108003
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merry_magpie/pseuds/merry_magpie





	In Which Lancelot is Too Noble for His Own Good (Or Anyone Else's)

The hallway was dark, the perfect habitat for the wilderen, and Lancelot was glad to know the beast was trapped back in the hall and not roaming somewhere here. They were under the fortress and nowhere near safe yet, but Gwen had been spared a gristly death and that alone was enough to give him hope of survival. Before he and Merlin rounded another corner he heard Gwen cry out and sparing one glance back at Merlin, who looked grave and worried, he ran around the corner. Arthur, sword in hand, was attacking another wilderen in the tunnel. Gwen was behind him, holding the torch. Arthur was shouting at her to run, but she stayed firm, holding the torch and refusing to move.

Lancelot ran up to her, and pushed her behind him and towards Merlin, before advancing towards the wilderen to help Arthur. They both stabbed at the beast, but it barely felt the swords, even the deepest jabs seemed little more than scratches to the creature. The wilderen swiped out at Arthur with one of its claws and grazed him, knocking him to the ground. Gwen cried out, and Lancelot knew that there was no way only two swords could kill this thing. "Merlin, we cannot do this without you."

He felt himself brushed towards the wall and saw Arthur who had only just regained his footing and Gwen pushed to the other side of the cavern. Arthur had enough time to call out "what?" before Merlin said something in another language, one Lancelot recognized as the magical language the druids used. Both Gwen and Arthur turned as one to look at Merlin, whose eyes glowed with power. The wilderen's snarl was cut off half way into a choking noise. It stumbled on its feet before falling to one side where it twitched - once, twice - and then lay still.

There was silence except for the crackling sound of the torch in Gwen's hands. Merlin lowered his hand and said, in a strained voice, "I guess that one works on rats of all sizes." He shrugged his shoulders as if to suggest he was harmless and Lancelot moved to defend him, sword still in hand. If Merlin had outed himself as a sorcerer for their sakes, because Lancelot asked, the least he could do was protect Merlin from Camelot's wrath. Though he hoped Arthur would be a better man than his father.

Arthur blinked, and Gwen kept glancing between Lancelot and Merlin, her gaze never resting more than a moment on one or the other. "Sire, know that Merlin means only to protect you and Camelot." Lancelot said.

"I can speak for myself, Lancelot." Merlin said from behind him. He moved towards Arthur and Gwen. Surprisingly, Arthur wrapped his arm around Gwen and pushed her behind him. That made Merlin stop short. "Er, what he said. Sire."

Gwen leaned forward around Arthur. "You're a sorcerer, Merlin?" To which Merlin nodded. Lancelot felt he should step in again, to convince them that Merlin was no danger to them or to Camelot, but Gwen walked around Arthur as he grabbed at her arm, pulling her towards him.

"He's a sorcerer, Gwen." Arthur said, his gaze not leaving Merlin, his face an agony of betrayal.

"He is my friend. That is all I need to know about him." She said pulling away. She took three long steps towards Merlin and enveloped him in a hug. "Thank you for saving us," she said. Lancelot felt a brief flare of jealousy and he looked towards Arthur and thought he saw something similar reflected in his face.

"He is a traitor and a danger to Camelot." Arthur said and before either Lancelot or Merlin could respond, Gwen spun around.

"He has been a loyal friend to me and to you for more than a year." She paused, as if caught off guard by the passion of her words. She then added a meek, "my lord. And he just saved our lives."

Arthur looked like he was going to respond when a sound in the distance gave them all pause. Lancelot spoke up. "We have to get out of these tunnels before we run into more wilderen or the mercenaries." Arthur nodded and they ran forward through the tunnels and out into the forest. When they came out the underground entrance, Merlin turned around and rocks of all sizes flew to fill in the way. They were all staring at him when he turned around. He sighed and said, "In for a penny," before running towards the forest, the rest of them only a few steps behind.

\--

Around the fire later, Lancelot sat next to Gwen as Arthur and Merlin talked and shouted at each other taking whatever privacy they could behind a small grove of trees, away from the camp.

"You knew he could do magic?" Gwen asked, staring at the fire.

"Last year, he helped me defeat the Griffin." She looked lost, her face still broken as if she was still in the cell thinking she would die. He tried to offer her some solace, that Merlin had not been maliciously hiding his magic from her. "If I hadn't caught him at it, I wouldn't have known either."

She reached for a stick and stirred the logs on the fire, though they didn't need it. "I'm glad someone knew. I'm glad he wasn't alone."

In their silence Lancelot could hear Arthur and Merlin shouting at each other. He made out only a few half phrases although they were both clearly upset. "I would never harm you." And, "is all you ever did lie to me?" And, "How can I ever trust you again?" And, "I will always protect you."

Just as when he visited Camelot before, Merlin seemed to live only for Arthur. Lancelot believed it an admirable trait in the man, and Lancelot hoped one day Arthur would know the true value of that loyalty and love. Arthur and Merlin both crashed out of the bushes sometime later; neither appeared to be in a good mood. Arthur stopped short when he saw Gwen and Lancelot sitting next to each other by the fire. His face clearly said, "not you too." Lancelot looked over to Gwen, and he saw many emotions flitting across the surface of her face, one of them could have been love. And it is not for him. The Prince loved the maid, and the maid could love the Prince, and though it might have crushed him who was he to stand in the way of that?

Gwen excused herself to sleep and Arthur seconded the idea. Lancelot had too much to think about to sleep, and offered to stay up and keep guard. He would leave now and spare Gwen any moment of having to choose between he and Arthur, but he decided to stay for Merlin's sake. Tomorrow, if Merlin is no longer welcome in Camelot, then Lancelot would offer to travel with him.

\--

The next morning Gwen and Merlin were preparing something akin to breakfast with the last of the food left over from Arthur and Merlin's supplies while Arthur glared at the both of them from his sitting place across the camp. Lancelot sat next to Arthur who looked sourly at him.

"I know it's not my place, My Lord, but if you would hear me out."

"I'm sure I don't have much choice in the matter either way." Arthur says sounding more like a petulant child than a righteously angry prince.

"If you are going to take Merlin back to Camelot to execute him, I beg you to let him leave your kingdom's borders with me instead."

Arthur looked at him, his expression clearly possessive. As if to say, you cannot have him as well. "I promised Merlin I would protect him and his secret in Camelot. He is coming back with me."

Lancelot couldn't hide his smile at those words. He forgot himself and his station clasping Arthur on the back. "Sire, I am very glad to hear of it. I have never known a man so in love with his master before. Devotion like that is sure only to bring great good to your people and your land."

Arthur looked startled by Lancelot's words before he started laughing. Freer and easier than Lancelot had ever heard. "Yes, the idiot is kind of in love with me isn't he?" Arthur looked over towards Gwen and Merlin again, this time more at ease. Lancelot now knew Merlin would be safe. After breakfast he would take his leave of the party and perhaps his going would ease the tension between Gwen and Arthur as well. For now, however, he could enjoy one moment longer with people he was proud to call his friends.


End file.
